UPDATE: An official spokesperson for Christopher Nolan has given an update on the whole chairs story.

“For the record, the only things banned from [Christopher Nolan’s] sets are cell phones (not always successfully) and smoking (very successfully). The chairs Anne was referring to are the directors chairs clustered around the video monitor, allocated on the basis of hierarchy not physical need. Chris chooses not to use his but has never banned chairs from the set. Cast and crew can sit wherever and whenever they need and frequently do.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

Christopher Nolan hates chairs?

Movie sets are wonderful, magical things. They can also be very boring. While I can’t speak for large scale movies, I know a lot of smaller productions I have seen tend to have a lot of standing and waiting around. It’s a lot of “run, run, run, wait, wait, wait.” When one group of people are done with their work, the next set of people’s jobs start. And when one group is done with their work, they often still need to stick around for minor tweaks and changes. I guess they’d wait around in chairs?

Well, not on a Christopher Nolan set. The auteur big-budget filmmaker is well-known for his attention to detail, and is also well-known for wearing a suit on set. With that in mind, it’s not super surprising to hear that Nolan is a filmmaker who simply doesn’t his crew sit down while on set.

“Chris also doesn’t allow chairs,” Anne Hathaway said in a recent interview with Variety. “I worked with him twice. He doesn’t allow chairs, and his reasoning is, if you have chairs, people will sit, and if they’re sitting, they’re not working. I mean, he has these incredible movies in terms of scope and ambition and technical prowess and emotion. It always arrives at the end under schedule and under budget. I think he’s onto something with the chair thing.”

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I can certainly understand the mentality there. If you want your set to be as effective as possible, it makes sense to have everyone already standing and attentive. If they are, they are more likely to spring to action when required at any given moment. While it may not seem like a big deal, in crunch moments, every second counts. If your set is efficient enough, it can do a lot to alleviate stress and raise morale.

That being said, I do find myself a bit torn because while I do think this sets a tone, I’m not entirely sure how practical it is. Call me sensitive, but I’m not sure I’m the type of person to equate sitting with laziness. I can’t help but wonder if there are any unexpected grumblings from those who work with him over that. However, at the end of the day, it’s Nolan’s set, and who am I to question someone like him?

What do you think of Christopher Nolan and his hatred of chairs? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Variety